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G-Man
The G-Man is a mysterious and enigmatic character encountered several times in the Half-Life series. Referred to as a "sinister interdimensional bureaucrat", he is known to display peculiar behavior and to wield powers far beyond those of a human. His identity and motives remain completely unexplained. He plays the role of an overseer and eventual employer, watching over Gordon Freeman and other characters as the series progresses, at times helping or hindering them. Description Physically, the G-Man appears to be a middle-aged Caucasian male with a tall, thin physique, pale skin, a prominent widow's peak, black hair styled in a crew cut, and pale green eyes. In all appearances, he is seen dressed in a gray-blue suit and is almost always seen carrying a briefcase. The G-Man speaks in a slow, commanding manner, with a certain accentuated low-key moroseness to his tone, bordering on the cryptic. Most notably, he has an odd habit of placing unusual stress on syllables, stressing the wrong parts of words, making unnecessary pauses and awkwardly changing the pitch of his voice. He also has a tendency to elongate consonants, especially the "S". History Half-Life The G-Man is first seen along the Sector C Line, standing in an electric tram frozen on the track opposite the tram that Freeman is traveling on during the Half-Life introduction sequence. He somehow manages to arrive at the Test Labs and Control Facilities before Freeman. Before the experiment begins, the G-Man can be seen arguing with a scientist in a locked, sound-proof room of the Research section of the Anomalous Materials Lab where only mumbling can be heard. Following the catastrophic Resonance Cascade which commences the game's action through Black Mesa, the G-Man can be seen quietly observing Gordon Freeman in several out-of-reach areas as the game progresses. After Gordon defeats the Half-Life final boss, Nihilanth, the ruler of Xen, G-Man brings the player to "safety" in an inexplicable, abstract sequence, appearing beside Gordon, having stripped him of his armaments, claiming that "most of them were government property" as being his excuse for having taken them from Gordon and showing him various areas of Xen. The G-Man tells Gordon that he has been observing him very carefully and praises him on his actions in Xen, which is now in his "employers'" control. As he says this, dead HECU Marines, destroyed tanks and a downed jet fighter can be seen around this area of Xen, suggesting that U.S. military forces participated in capturing Xen for the G-Man's "employers", although this may merely be part of G-Man's illusions. Eventually the scene changes into what appears to be a Black Mesa tram traveling through space at high speed. The G-Man then informs him that he has recommended Gordon's services to his "employers", and offers him a job. Canon states that Gordon takes the job, although the player is given a Hobson's choice, the "illusion of free choice" being reminded by the G-Man in Half-Life 2; declining the offer results in the unarmed Freeman facing a horde of hostile Alien Grunts as the screen fades to black with the G-Man's final words; "No regrets, Mr. Freeman." Interestingly, within the game files, an extended line of this can be found: "(...) but there are a few survivors of your personal holocaust, who would like the chance to meet the man responsible for the total annihilation of their race." (This line may have been referencing the Xen creatures.) Half-Life: Opposing Force In Opposing Force, the G-Man plays a slightly more direct role in the story, alternately hindering and aiding the player, Corporal Adrian Shephard, as well as simply observing. During the boot camp training chapter, the G-Man can be spotted at a window speaking to an officer, and occasionally glancing at the player. Since the drill instructor mentions that Shephard's training has been mysteriously accelerated, the implication is that the G-Man had an interest in Shephard before the Black Mesa incident, for unknown reasons. During the chapter Welcome to Black Mesa, Shephard is trapped on a small walkway, with deadly radioactive liquid rising steadily towards him. The G-Man opens a door allowing him to escape, saving his life. One chapter later, "We Are Pulling Out", as Shephard attempts to evacuate Black Mesa with the rest of the marines, the G-Man closes a hangar door, forcing him to remain on the base. Later on in the chapter "The Package", the G-Man is seen rearming the nuclear bomb that eventually destroys Black Mesa, while Shephard had deactivated it moments prior. After Shephard defeats the Gene Worm at the end of the game, G-Man appears again. On this occasion, Shephard finds himself on board one of the HECU's V-22 Ospreys, facing the G-Man. The G-Man informs Shephard that, contrary to his employer's original wishes, Shephard is to be spared, but detained. The G-Man says that he has been impressed by Shephard's ability to "adapt & survive against all odds" in the Black Mesa facility, and comments that these are traits which remind him of himself. As the G-Man delivers this closing monologue, the plane carries them away from Black Mesa, shortly before a nuclear blast flashes outside confirming its destruction. The aircraft's location then suddenly switches to the skies of Xen, then finally to an emptiness similar to that encountered by the Black Mesa tram at the end of Half-Life. The G-Man then leaves Shephard via a portal in the cockpit, and the screen fades to the closing titles. Half-Life: Blue Shift and Half-Life: Decay In both Blue Shift and Decay, the main characters of each game, Barney Calhoun and doctors Gina Cross and Colette Green, see the G-Man on one occasion near the beginning of each game, but he either doesn't seem to notice any of them, or he simply ignores them. This suggests that he either doesn't have the same interest in them as that he has in Gordon Freeman and Adrian Shephard or he was too busy. Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 begins with Gordon being greeted by the G-Man around 20 years after the Black Mesa Incident, while seeing a dream-like montage of images such as the Black Mesa test chamber, and interior areas of the Citadel. In his speech, the G-Man hints that he put Gordon into stasis for his own safety, and that an opportunity has now arisen which will allow Freeman to begin his campaign against the Combine forces on Earth. He continuously refers to Gordon Freeman as "Mister Freeman" throughout the introductory sequence, forgoing Gordon's proper title of doctor. However, during the ending sequence, he refers to Gordon as "Doctor Freeman". The G-Man is briefly visible at various other points during the events of the game, including along the different vehicle sequences, but these are only from a great distance or as seen on video terminals until the game's finale. After an uphill battle in the Citadel, Gordon causes critical damage to the structure's Dark Energy reactor, resulting in an explosion that might have caused his death, had the G-Man not seemingly stopped time in order to extract Gordon to safety to await further "employment offers" (while apparently leaving Alyx to perish in the explosion). The game ends with travel through the same emptiness that was the Half-Life ending, and with the G-Man stepping through some sort of doorway portal, though not before fixing his tie. The G-Man, at this point, makes it clear that he will once again be placing Freeman in stasis while he entertains some "interesting offers" for Gordon's services, this time making no mention of his "employers," as he had in Half-Life, justifying that the current situation is "extraordinary" enough to contemplate taking up any of these offers. Before their final showdown, Doctor Breen also asks Gordon, "Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?", probably a reference to the "contract" Gordon has with the G-Man. Half-Life 2: Episode One The G-Man is only seen once in Episode One. At the beginning of the game, which begins at the point when Half-Life 2 ends, he walks back into the black void that he left Gordon in and opens his mouth to say something, but then notices a purple glowing Vortigaunt to his left. He appears to be slightly amused at the sight, but then notices another on his right, and the smile drops from his face. As more and more Vortigaunts appear, he begins to look irritated, and then, as he looks toward Gordon, he realizes what is happening. Irritation changes to anger. As two more Vortigaunts stand on either side of Gordon and grab his arms, the G-Man straightens his tie more violently than before and responds to their chant with a single sentence: "We'll see... about that!". Gordon is then immediately teleported away and found by Dog in a pile of rubble just outside the Citadel. This incident shows the Vortigaunts have the ability to enter the G-Man's realm. This is also the first time any hindrance (definitive or temporary) is seen in the G-Man's plans. Half-Life 2: Episode Two The G-Man first appears to Gordon while a group of Vortigaunts are occupied healing the heavily wounded Alyx Vance. He explains that the reason for his absence is that the Vortigaunts have been preventing him from appearing to Gordon, thus he needed to wait for the Vortigaunts to be preoccupied so that he could contact him. Just like in Half Life 2, he appears in a surreal, dream-like sequence taking place in several locations: the rocket silo located at White Forest, the same corridor as the one seen in the message left by Judith Mossman, and what seems to be the entrance to the Anomalous Materials Laboratories in the Black Mesa Research Facility from Half-Life (it might also be another entrance, but this place being a striking Half-Life element, the differences seen are likely just aesthetic and related to the different game engine). He then explains that he was the one to "pluck" Alyx Vance from Black Mesa, despite objections from unidentified naysayers that she was "a mere child" and "of no practical use to anyone" (an image of Doctor Breen flashes in the background at this comment). He then instructs Gordon to safely escort Alyx to White Forest, as repayment for the G-Man's previous ensurance of his survival, stating he wished he could do more than simply monitor Gordon, but has agreed to "abide by certain restrictions." While Alyx is still unconscious, he then whispers into her ear to tell her father to "prepare for unforeseen consequences" when she sees him. During the sequence, he seems to be less rigid and more human-like, and is not seen carrying his briefcase. Just after she delivers the message to her father, Alyx seems dizzy and holds her head, suggesting that she wasn't consciously speaking. The G-Man flashes on the screen just before she delivers the message, which could have triggered her to say it subconsciously. Another reason to believe Alyx actually has no idea what's happening is that she never mentions G-man at all, which she would if she could remember. Eli is noticeably disturbed by the words, to the point where he almost collapses in shock. After making up an excuse for Alyx to leave the room, Eli reveals to Gordon that he is aware of their "mutual friend" as well. He explains that the G-Man delivered sample GG-3883 which ultimately caused the Black Mesa Incident, and whispered in his ear to "prepare for unforeseen consequences" shortly before the Resonance Cascade. Eli then begins to express hope that he and Gordon will be able to take some unknown action, but is interrupted by Alyx's return. Shortly after, Eli tells Gordon he believes the message is a warning regarding the Borealis, and reiterates his belief that it should be destroyed lest the events of Black Mesa repeat themselves. Whatever Eli knew is left unsaid, as he is killed by a Combine Advisor before having the opportunity to elaborate further. Personality and skills The G-Man possesses a calm, almost uninterested demeanor, particularly apparent in the ruined and alien-infested Black Mesa facility. He can often be seen calmly straightening his tie or brushing his suit lapels with his hands, regardless of whatever chaos may be surrounding him. Even when angered, he maintains a decidedly restrained demeanor. He also has demonstrated a dry sense of humor. He has stepped in directly and rescued Adrian Shephard and Alyx Vance before the destruction of Black Mesa, suggesting that he is capable of mercy, though it is more likely that he merely did this for his own interests. The G-Man seems to occasionally take an interest in certain individuals, using his powers and skills at manipulation to guide them down certain paths. He has made pawns of Gordon Freeman, Alyx Vance and Adrian Shephard, as well as perhaps countless others. It is also implied that he orchestrated the Black Mesa Incident, meaning Dr. Breen was also under his influence. The G-Man mentioned to Adrian that he has great respect for people who can survive against incredible odds, citing that such people remind him of himself. His message to Eli mentioning "unforeseen consequences" and the subsequent revelation about the threat to humanity posed by the Combine acquiring the technology on board the Borealis could imply that the G-Man might secretly be sympathetic to humanity and its fight for survival. Alternatively these actions may be more self-serving in some unknown way than sympathetic. The G-Man appears quite skilled with technology, and is capable of operating a very wide range of machinery, ranging from simple cell phones and sealed steel doors to complex nuclear weapons (although for the latter there are instructions inside the cap) and experimental teleports and portals. Throughout the entire Half-Life series, the G-Man has a tendency to appear in an out-of-the-way or hard to reach location and then walk away and vanish without a trace once the player arrives. He is seen twice using portals, perhaps explaining his ability to appear and disappear apparently randomly. What's more, one the portals that he used was somehow created and the opening then disappeared after he left, suggesting that the G-man can somehow create such entities. The G-Man also seems to be able to control time, as he briefly stops the reactor explosion at the end of Half-Life 2 and transport individuals into and from stasis through different dimensions. In most games featuring the G-Man, there are several sequences when the G-Man is talking at close range to the player, and various areas can be seen in the background, including areas from Black Mesa or even areas the player will visit later into the game. In these sequences, the G-Man talks to the player (the player's character never responds or reacts in any way) and can be seen quickly appearing in different portions of the screen, in dream-like sequences. He also appears on TV screens and Breencasts dotted around the environment; G-Man also seems to have technopathic or telepathic abilities of some sort, as the player will occasionally see his face on things such as unplugged televisions. Gallery Category:Valve Characters Category:Half-Life Characters Category:PC Debut Category:All Characters